Yang Li

The irreverent yet fashion-conscious aesthetic of skate, punk, and basketball culture first shaped Yang Li's interest in fashion. After graduating from Central Saint Martins and interning under Raf Simons, the Beijing-born, London-based designer launched his inaugural menswear collection for Spring/Summer 2012. Channeling an ethos of understated rebellion, he reimagines utilitarian, urban staples with elongated proportions and the clean tailoring of 90's minimalism. Undoubtedly one of modern fashion's most exciting new designers, Li channels a unique outsider-then-insider perspective on Western subcultures and high fashion vernacular. Taking a fresh hand to familiar staples, he produces thoroughly wearable, subtly detailed pieces of beauty and understated ingenuity, emanating an aura of spontaneousness and radical cosmopolitanism. Bonded fabrics, luxurious materials, sharp tailoring, and undone finishes appear as signatures. An utterly unconventional figure with a global pedigree, Li's work stands at the forefront of the coming renaissance of Chinese designers.